Although the Finn won an event this year – in Italy – his mistake-full campaign caused Ford some important points in the overall classification. Apart from him crashing out of the WRC events quite constantly in the first part of the season, his incredible error in the final stages of Rally Poland will remain one for the WRC books.
While running in a secure 2nd place with only one stage to go, Latvala failed to bring his Ford Focus WRC to the finish line as he wrongly approached a corner and crashed out of the rally.
Nevertheless, as confirmed by Wilson himself, Hirvonen still benefits from full confidence from the Ford team, especially since not all hope is lost in the manufacturers' race.
“I'm perfectly happy with the two drivers I have. There was never any truth in the rumors about Dani. I'm confident for next season,” confirmed Wilson, therefore dismissing rumors that Citroen's Dani Sordo would be offered a seat with Ford from 2010 onwards.
The announcement left even Latvala open-mouthed, as he admitted he wasn't expecting such a huge support from Ford.
“It's been a very nice way to see from Malcolm that he has the support. I didn't expect it. I wasn't sure how he would be. It's been a little surprise that he has the support for me and I'm really, really thankful for this,” said the 24-year old Finn.
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